


Time Out

by PriscillaKing



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Caring Chloe Decker, Childishness, Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar Fluff, Cute Lucifer, Fluff, Insecure Lucifer, Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV) Needs A Hug, Minor Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Trixie Decker & Lucifer Morningstar Bonding, Trixie Decker & Lucifer Morningstar Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 19:30:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19874887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PriscillaKing/pseuds/PriscillaKing
Summary: Lucifer and Chloe celebrate solving a case together via a night in with Trixie. Chloe soon find herself up against a hyper-active devil and a quickly approaching bedtime.





	Time Out

**Author's Note:**

> Little oneshot I wanted to get out before finishing up the next of TLWFF. I fell in love with Lucifer and had too many ideas to not write something.
> 
> Set late season 2 into season 3.

* * *

Time Out

* * *

  
Chloe Decker was a humble woman. She didn't feel the need to take credit for many of the things she did. But being able to handle her devilish partner was definitely a point of pride for her.

His constant childish joking and overall disregard for responsibility were just a couple of the things she dealt with almost every week. She should be used to it by now. But it seemed that every time she got comfortable with the routine the Civilian Consultant managed to find a whole new level of 'Luciferness' to test her with.

When the trouble began they had just finished a case and (at Lucifer's behest), decided to head to Chloe's to celebrate. He knew Maze was out tonight hunting a bounty and couldn't pass up the opportunity.

  
Trixie had been home with a sitter for the afternoon and was ecstatic to see not only her mother but her favorite devil walk in to hang out. She had immediately began finding things to do together.

Lucifer had always been energetic and playful but after three rounds of Monopoly, a couple rounds of karaoke and more than a few glasses of wine Chloe was struggling to keep up with her daughter. She really envied her partner's ability to be hyper-active 24/7 at times like these.

Hours had passed and Lucifer hadn't so much as allowed her to cook dinner, merely ordering pizza so he could keep Chloe around as he continued his antics. You would never guess he spent every waking hour either running his club, entertaining guests or consulting for the LAPD. Lucifer often mentioned his 'incredible stamina' but this was a whole different side to him Chloe has never seen before.

Trixie and Lucifer were now locked in a debate over whether ice powers would be better than fire powers and Chloe was beginning to lose her patience.

"Elsa made a whole castle out of ice, so that makes ice better!" Trixie argued loudly. Lucifer scoffed dramatically from his spot on the couch.

"But can she burn villages to the ground, slaughter her enemies, keep a bed warm…?"

"There will be no talk of slaughter or- or whatever else in front of my daughter." Chloe said quickly, ending the conversation. Lucifer raised an eyebrow and Trixie looked between them, confused.

"If you say so, Detective," Lucifer smirked, grabbing his drink from the coffee table and downing its contents. "How about another board game? I'd like to try this 'Clue' the child's told me about."

Trixie gasped and looked at Chloe pleadingly, knowing her mom was tired but hoping she'd give in anyway. It wasn't often Lucifer willingly played with her, after all.

"One round," Chloe said with a sigh, "Then we'll watch a movie…something calming."

Lucifer quickly discovered he liked the new game and managed to rope Chloe into four whole rounds before a yawn from Trixie caught her attention. She put a hand on Lucifer arm just before he could begin setting up the next round and gestured to her daughter.

"I think it's time for bed," she said, giving Trixie a look. The small girl gave Chloe a pout and slump of her shoulders but her mother remained firm. "Go on, now."

Trixie begrudgingly got up to give them both a hug goodnight, making sure to hold Lucifer with both arms so he couldn't squirm away. Chloe would have found it funny if she wasn't so exhausted.

Though she'd taken care of Trixie she still had a very-much-awake partner to deal with. She turned and was surprised to find Lucifer had left his spot on the carpet. After a quick search she found him in her office reading her work files and spinning around in the desk chair.

"Those are confidential LAPD case files, Lucifer," she said patiently, "and I need them to finish up my reports so if you don't mind-"

"Reports are boring, Detective," said Lucifer distractedly. Now he was tapping his feet on the hardwood floor as he organised killers by their level of attractiveness.

"Excuse me?" Chloe said in a whisper. Lucifer stood and dropped the files into the desk, making the detective flinch as pages fell from their folders onto the floor.

"And so are these," he finished, giving her a smirk. "Now that your offspring is asleep we should head over to Lux and find something a bit more adult to do tonight. Or find some better liquor, at the very least."

"Alright, that's it," Chloe snapped, keeping her voice as low as she could. "You've practically been bouncing off the walls since we arrived and I am not indulging it anymore. Either you calm down, or you're going home."

Lucifer had enough sense to look chastised for all of ten seconds before the inevitable sex joke came out- almost compulsively.

"You're right," he said with a grin. "Staying here means less interruptions, and with a man like myself we'd surely be going at it until morning-"

"Oh my God," Chloe groaned, turning around and making a beeline for the kitchen. She poured herself another glass of wine and rubbed at her temples, trying in vain to dispel the headache there.

"I'll just be picking out a film for us Detective!" Lucifer said from the living room. "Something to get us in the mood, if you know what I mean!"

Chloe considered just kicking him out, but Lucifer was frustratingly good at picking locks and she didn't want to deal with the offended whining that would occur after he eventually got back in. Lux was out of the question, she had her daughter to keep an eye on tonight.

Chloe sighed miserably. She would never understand how Maze had tolerated Lucifer for so long.

Wait. _Maze!_

The detective snatched her phone from the counter behind her and called Mazikeen. If anybody knew what to do right now, it was her.

She almost thought she wouldn't pick up, what with her traveling to her latest bounty in Chicago, but after the third ring Maze's voice came through the speaker of her cellphone.

_"What's up, Decker?"_

"Hey Maze, sorry to bother you while you're working, but I need your help." Chloe said, watching as Lucifer paced around the living room, waiting for her. "It's about Lucifer."

 _"Isn't it always?"_ Maze replied. Chloe didn't have to see her face to know the bounty hunter was rolling her eyes.

"I know, I know but I seriously have no idea what to do." she confessed. "He's crazy hyper right now and won't listen to me. I don't think he's on drugs or drunk or anything, he just won't calm down."

 _"So?"_ Maze said, _"Just take him to Lux and let him party himself out. No biggie."_

Chloe looked over at Lucifer again and saw him cleaning up the games and films from earlier, moving around and looking overall impatient. Something about it just didn't sit right with her.

"I don't think I should, Maze," she said quietly. "Drowning in liquor and women isn't what he needs right now. He needs to rest."

She heard a dramatic sigh and smiled. Maze wasn't the best at showing it, but she did truly care for her friends. And Lucifer happened to be one she'd sworn to protect, even if he was no longer her boss.

 _"There is something you could try,"_ said Maze after a moment of thought. _"You know that thing you do when Trixie misbehaves? With the corner?"_

"A time-out?" Chloe asked.

 _"Right, that."_ Maze confirmed. _"It works on him."_

"You've _tried_ it?" Chloe gasped, trying to keep her voice down and failing miserably.

 _"In a way,"_ replied the former bartender. _"There'd be times Lucifer couldn't focus, or control his energy. It'd be bad for business when he'd get like that with guests, so I'd trap him in his bedroom till he calmed down or ran out of juice."_

"And how long would that take?" Asked Chloe nervously. Maze whistled.

_"A good few hours? Not really sure. Most of my time was spent barring the doorway, not looking at the clock."_

Chloe dropped her head to the counter with a soft 'thud'. Great. She didn't have hours and hours to be babysitting Lucifer, but the thought of leaving him alone at Lux just made her feel like a jerk.

Taking a swig of her drink and steeling herself for what she needed to do, Chloe thanked Maze and left the kitchen to rejoin her partner.

"Ah, Detective! Finally!" Lucifer grinned, raising a copy of her infamous film from behind his back. "Look what I found hiding in the behind the child's DVDs. Ready for a trip down memory lane?"

Resisting the urge to rip Hot Tub Highschool from his hands, Chloe simply shook her head, finishing off her wine and setting down the glass. Lucifer watched her curiously.

"It's late, Lucifer," she said gently, "You should really get some rest."

"But we've so much to do! I'm not the least bit ready to drag myself back to the penthouse, Detective!" Lucifer was all but whining now, just what Chloe had been trying to avoid.

"I know you're having fun, but I'm exhausted." Chloe said honestly. Just as she predicted, Lucifer frowned, realizing he was at fault for her current state. "And you need to sleep once in a while, too."

She felt slightly guilty for making him feel bad for her but it wasn't as if she was lying. She wouldn't have been nearly as tired as she was now if Lucifer hadn't come back with her.

The club owner lost his happy aura and quickly apologized. "I didn't mean to make you tired, I'm sorry, truly."

Chloe held up her hands in a calming gesture. "It's fine Lucifer, but you really need to take a breath and let yourself recharge. I know you put your all into that case."

"But…"

"I mean it, time for bed mister." she said lightly, hoping Lucifer wouldn't argue anymore after she'd already played the sad victim card.

"Alright, I'll head home then," Lucifer said, looking around quickly. "But really, this place is still a mess and it's partly my fault, it wouldn't be right to just leave it like this…"

Chloe sighed, realizing he'd only switched tactics. She was left with no other choice.

"Sit down, Lucifer," she said, using the voice she reserved for Trixie when she didn't follow the rules.

Happy that he wasn't getting kicked out (yet), Lucifer eagerly complied, sitting on the couch with all the grace he possessed. Chloe almost didn't want to continue and burst his hyper-active bubble, but her headache quickly reminded her that they both needed to rest.

"Stay there, and don't move." She said, continuing before Lucifer could think up a no doubt sexual reply. "No phone, no talking, just sit quietly and calm down."

"But Detective that's-"

"Boring, I know," she interrupted gently, "but if you want to keep being my partner you need to listen to me, Lucifer. And you can't do that if you're not focused."

"I _am focused_!" he argued, already fidgeting with his cufflinks. Chloe counted to ten in her head while keeping her expression firm.

"Trixie is asleep," she reminded him, before addressing his outburst. "This is exactly why you need this time to think. I'm going to clean up, and when I finish you're going to tell me why you're so wound up in the first place."

"Chloe, please. I'm not a child, I don't need 'time to think'!" Lucifer said, trying to sound authoritative.

Chloe held her breath, half expecting to hear her daughter wandering out of her room by now. After a few seconds of silence she let herself breathe again and set a stern look on the dark haired man.

"If you wake up Trixie I promise you Lucifer, you'll be sitting here a lot longer than originally planned."

After a moment of hesitation Lucifer nodded, finally giving in to Chloe and leaning back into the couch, trying to get comfortable. He watched as she went about the room, gathering the things he'd missed and doing an overall more thorough job at cleaning up. Eventually she was behind him and Lucifer lost his one source of entertainment. His current situation was quickly getting old.

"Detective…" Lucifer called, stressing the vowels of the nickname. "I'm going to die of boredom over here."

"Hush," Chloe scolded from the kitchen. "It's called a time-out for a reason."

"For the last time, I'm not a child." He said.

"You're whining says otherwise," Chloe countered. "Now relax and sit still."

Lucifer sighed and tapped his fingers across his leg, wishing he had a piano right now. Surely the Detective would've let him play if the music was soothing enough.

Shifting around towards the back of the couch Lucifer watched as Chloe disposed of the evidence of their pizza party. She really did look tired, and the realization sent a pang of guilt through his chest.

"I can help with that, you know." said Lucifer, careful this time with keeping his voice low.

Chloe glanced up from collecting paper plates and shook her head. "Turn around."

Lucifer nearly stood up just to spite her- it wasn't as if she could force him down even with her police training- but he was again reminded that her current state was his fault. In the back of his mind Lucifer knew that this punishment was deserved, so he couldn't bring himself to fight it.

He could definitely complain about it, though.

"Hasn't it been long enough?" Lucifer asked, annoyed when Chloe didn't answer verbally but gestured for him to turn around. The devil obeyed, back to staring at nothing.

He kicked the coffee table lightly, enjoying the satisfying _'thunk'_ it made. He did that a few more times but quickly lost interest, returning again to complaining.

"You can't seriously expect me to sit here all night, Detective?" he said, crossing his arms.

He didn't receive an answer, and when he looked around again Chloe had left the area. Wonderful. All alone with his thoughts, then.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable in all his layers Lucifer shrugged off his jacket and popped open a couples more of his shirt's buttons. He pushed his Italian loafers off his feet and leaned back into the couch, telling himself that no, he wasn't tired, just bored out of his mind.

But he didn't want to leave. He'd been having such a good time with Chloe and even Trixie that he didn't want it to end. He rarely got the Detective to let him enter her home so he'd jumped at the idea, instantly excited.

However, now his fun was indeed coming to a close and it wasn't sitting well with the devil. He sighed and looked around, hoping to find something to pass the time with. Chloe had cleaned the place spotless, not a one of Trixie's toys had escaped her, not even under the couch.

She'd also taken the TV romote. Clever detective.

When he finally heard her soft footsteps coming his way Lucifer sat up straight, trying his best to look as energetic as usual.

When Chloe returned she knew right away Lucifer was getting tired. His smirk was off and his eyes slightly red, that alongside the way he stared at what she'd brought with her gave her confirmation that she'd done the right thing.

She dropped the pillows and blanket she'd grabbed onto the couch, arranging them nicely enough before patting her makeshift bed. "Come on, Lucifer, time to talk."

"I'm not tired, really," he protested, but she put her hand on his shoulder and he couldn't fight her, bending down as she pushed him onto the pillows. He refused to close his eyes, just watching the detective's hands as she pulled the fluffy, black blanket over him.

"I'd do this in Maze's room but I don't want to find out how many knives or sex toys she's got laying around in there." Chloe said with a nervous laugh. Lucifer gave a soft hum of agreement.

Chloe was almost disappointed he hadn't found a joke to make about knives and toys but she chalked it up to the exhaustion and set about doing what she'd come to do.

"You still haven't told me what's going on with you," Chloe said, watching as Lucifer eyes flitted between focused and unfocused. He settled on looking at her and simply shrugged.

"You know me detective, just can't help myself when it comes to fun." he said casually.

"I don't think that's it," said Chloe, pulling up a chair to sit beside him. "Talk to me, Lucifer."

The man sighed dramatically in defeat, something she might have found amusing under normal circumstances. Lucifer's eyes scanned down, landing on the floor.

"It's just," Lucifer paused, as if trying to collect his thoughts. Chloe could tell the exhaustion was catching up with him now that he was relaxing. "You don't seem to like Lux and I'm hardly welcome here on a normal day, so naturally I wanted to…savor the moment, I suppose."

Chloe stayed silent, waiting for him to look at her. When he eventually did she nodded, encouraging him to go on. Lucifer gave her a desperate look but Chloe wouldn't budge, not now that he was actually saying what he felt for a change.

"It isn't that complicated, Detective." he told her. "I only thought we could spend the evening together- you know, as partners."

"Well, I'm glad you're so eager to hang out but you could've just asked to come over more often," Chloe said, "and to be fair, I only hesitate letting you near my house because you have a tendency to waltz in like you own the place, regardless."

Before Lucifer could get defensive Chloe continued, "Trixie likes you, for that reason alone I'd be willing to do this again. Just maybe not so long into the night?"

Lucifer's eyes were drooping as he nodded in agreement. Chloe would have laughed, but knew it would only rile him up more.

"The child seems to like me coming over, yes," Lucifer said softly, letting his eyes close. "But what about you, Detective?"

Chloe bit her lip, watching him slowly relax into the couch, losing the battle for sleep but still alert enough to hear her answer. She wished he would just focus on the Trixie part, but of course, this was Lucifer.

"Well," Chloe began, "You're very loud, for one. You don't always listen, your devil obsession is off the charts lately, and you prefer drinking alcohol to an actual meal…"

Chloe watched as Lucifer's face fell, not dramatically and with denial like usual, but with quiet resignation. As if he finally agreed with her about his bad habits.

"However," Chloe said gently, "You _are_ my partner Lucifer, and I don't mind a quiet night in with you and Trixie. I think it'd be good for you- you know, to take a break from the constant partying."

"You truly mean that, Detective?" asked Lucifer, his body tense. Chloe nodded without hesitation and Lucifer let out a breath he didn't remember holding.

Chloe noticed him relax almost instantly. She once again felt the desire to laugh but held back as Lucifer's breath began to even out. He was like a child waiting for approval, needing the 'ok' before he could move on.

"Goodnight, partner." Chloe whispered, standing up to leave as quietly as she could.

She didn't get an answer, the only sound that could be heard was Lucifer's now low, deep breathing. A peek into her daughter's room confirmed she too was fast asleep, cuddling several stuffed aliens tightly.

Chloe turned off the lights and headed to her own room, content now that everything was peaceful in her home once again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading~


End file.
